Stephen Mandel

One month into building a new political party and MLA Derek Fildebrandt is discovering it’s not as easy at it looks.
Not that building a new party has ever looked easy. Except perhaps to Fildebrandt who announced last month he was interim leader of the Freedom Conservative Party.
I’m not sure if he expected thankful voters to stampede to his door, hoist him up in their thankful arms and parade him around the town square.
Or maybe he at least expected some press coverage that didn’t in some way mock his checkered political past.
He got neither.

The good news for Alberta Party members is they have chosen a new leader who is experienced, well-known, and enjoys the support of veteran politicians. The bad news is their new leader is a political re-tread, lost his seat to the NDP in the 2015 election, and is supported by veterans of the old Progressive Conservative government.

The Alberta Party leadership contest will be a three-way race.
At the 5 p.m. Monday deadline, there were no last-minute contenders jumping in the race to join the three candidates who had already declared.